Don’t judge? But we like it. We judge on demographics too (we don’t like that one too much). No, it’s not because you are an asshole, it’s just the way humans do. Judging age is more socially accepted, judging a race, not so much.

We draw these strange lines in the sand, make of it what you will. I mean I do judge generation Z for cringey musicalys and narcissism. I don’t have to look far though to find all those traits within my younger self either, they are just propped up because of the ever-advancing technology. Be honest; would you not have been just as horrendous if you had access to the internet from the get-go? I turn around and find Generation X judging us millennials for the same shit. We are all part of that cycle.

A defence for passing judgement

The world throws a shitload of information on us, we need to process it. We are definitely not intelligent enough to take account of every minute detail, appreciate all facets and do so in a timely manner. The world would be working at a ridiculous pace if we did. So our mind categorises, based on our teachings, bias, our experiences and everything that falls under nature/nurture. So we see a rose and don’t respect it for all that it is. Where it’s from, why it’s there, the photosynthesis of it all, how it aids our living. No, that shit falls under ‘plant’. That’s it. Maybe ‘ou, pretty plant’, maybe a little more romanticised in our society, but PLANT.

Yeah, this includes racial stereotypes, and of course we go out of our way to consciously fight against having those. Doesn’t mean they’re all gone, and I hardly think it’s the worst thing in the world as long as you know to question your assumptions critically.

Don’t judge? We do it on the daily

Judgement reigns freely on every aspect of life; someone’s life decisions, appearance, actions, hobbies or anything else at all, you name it. Because what really is the difference between an assumption and a judgement? It’s the same thing. I say; hey, I’m an extrovert. Now you have assumed things about my personality. You put ketchup on your omelette, and I judge you hard. There is no way to look at these things and never have an afterthought. If they are however asshole-y and problematic, chances are, you know. You know that, you tell yourself not be a prick and shrug it off = self-improvement.

The dichotomy

There is a dichotomy. Did you ever wonder why it bothers you when someone undermines someone who is less fortunate but when it is directed at the Kardashians or the Bieber of it all, it’s not a topic at all? It is socially acceptable to judge some more than others.

Have you ever been to an open art display or gallery? You might have been if you live in a bustling city and while I enjoy classic art (to a point where I say ‘cool’ with little more insight), modern art forever eluded me. Don’t judge? When I find myself studying a piece of modern art, I judge. I judge the art, the artist and most of all; I judge the people that are making positive remarks about abstract paintings. Things of a finer way of living never appealed because they were never relevant or even reachable to me. I can’t recite the ingredients of a spirit by taking a sip and I don’t see the reason to do so in the first place. For some reason, however, I feel that kicking a football from one end of a field to another is a legitimate hobby.

When it’s not so good

It takes a little self-awareness that while it is socially acceptable to laugh at certain things, particularly pastimes that are mainly enjoyed by the middle class; still falls under the same category of ridicule. You are still partaking in judgement and you are still putting someone’s hobby or way of life down. It’s one thing to admit that you don’t ‘get’ something which for me is a great long list of things, but to write it off as completely stupid is too much of a generalisation. More than anything, it does affect you negatively because it carves a way into narrow-mindedness. In a different day and time, you might, in fact, enjoy one of these things or more.

Morals and ethics aren’t where society draws them; they are wherever you do, where you find harm or hypocrisy. If you preach certain ideologies, these need to be applied not only to those you target but to everyone who could possibly fall under the category. Simply because you can, simply because people won’t question your intentions, doesn’t mean you should.

I completely agree. We’re all used to judge very quickly, often without even knowing what we’re talking about. We should all reflect these things more before we judge them to be this or that way… Great post!
love, elena

I totally agree. We should all talk/write about these things more because, as you wisely observed, judgement often occurs without even thinking or realizing that we are participating in the act of judgement. So hopefully the more we talk about it, the more we will notice and stop ourselves before passing a judgement without considering all the details. Great post 🙂

Insightful as usual 🙂 That’s why I can’t really be mad at people for having racist/sexist thoughts because, to be honest, we all do. Discrimination is just something our brain does, and can be pretty useful too. What I do judge people for is acting on those discriminatory thoughts, which is something we definitely can control!